Cheese and process for sterilizing the same



L. E. CARPENTER AND E. E. ELDREDGE.

CHEESE AND PROCESS FOR STERILIZING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1915. RENEWED MAR.14,1918.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

aw u y 07M M um! on Ma m Tf T m; M mmw m 5 5 m .pm E m WITNESSES:1/4560- fax ya LINN EUGENE CARPENTER, or EAST ELDREDGE, OF NEW BERLIN,NEW YORK, .ASSIGNORS PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A.

ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AND ELMER ELLSWORTH TO PHENIX CHEESE COM-CORPORAT'ION OF NEW YORK.

CHEESE AND PROCESS FOR STERILIZING THE SAME.

Application filed June 21, 1915, Serial No. 35,477; Renewed March To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LINN EUGENE CAR- PENTER and ELMER ELLswoRTHELDREDGE, both citizens of the United States, the former residing atEast Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey. and thelatter residing at New Berlin, in the county of Chenango and State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cheeses andProcesses for Sterilizing the Same, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to the sterilization of cheeses, in order toprevent or at least greatly lessen the tendency thereof to decay, andalso to improve the cheese by the de struction of disease germs thereincontained.

We also seek to improve the flavor and the appearance of the cheese, andalso to render its texture homogeneous and uniform.

We have made the discovery that quite a large variety of cheesesdiffering considerably in kind, may by comparatively simpleandinexpensive treatment be given remarkable powers for resistingdecay, andthat in doing this the cheese is otherwise greatly improved in manyways, principally by ridding it of certain kinds of undesirablebacteria.

"We have also made the discovery that the basic material to be operatedupon to produce the results desire-d may be either cheese of a singlekind or a mixture of cheeses of different kinds, and that for somepurposes a mixture of cheeses is preferable.

Our invention may be practised in several ways differing slightly indetail, and varied to suit cheeses of many different kinds. It isimpracticable to describe every possible application which the inventionmay assume. However, we will describe a specific instance which may beconsidered as typical.

No particular form of apparatus is essential to our invention, but forthe sake of clearness we disclose a few mechanical devices which may beconveniently employed in connection with our process.

Reference is made to the accompanying Specification of Letters Patent.

14, 1918. Serial No. 222,514.

drawing forming a part of this specification and in which likelettersindicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a grinding device, and quantity ofcheese being ground thereby.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a heating vessel used for heating thematerials, and a spoon for stirring them while thus heated.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a box for receiving a quantity of thefinished product, this box also serving the purpose of a mold.

We will describe our invention as associated witht'hecheese knowmasCamembert. This is a rather" soft cheese, often shipped and sold inmetallic boxes, and under normal conditions does not keep very longunless maintained at a low temperature. Ordinarily this cheese iscovered with a moldy crust, or dirty-looking skin, which is unfit to beeaten, and is stripped off when the cheese is placed upon the diningtable. e

take the commercial Camembert cheese just as we find it in the market,and

first remove the mold or crust. Next we grind the cheese in a mill. Asausage grinder 4 will answer the purpose. The ground cheese 5 ishomogeneous and throughout is smooth to the touch. We now add one-tenthof one per cent. by weight, of sodium citrate in the form of a liquid,and one to five per cent. by weight of cheddar cheese, which should alsoI be ground, as above described with reference to the Camembert.

The entire mass 6 is next'placed in a heating vessel 7, provided with ahandle 9, and

heated in a hot water bath to 170 degrees F ahrenheit, this temperaturebeing steadily maintained for thirty minutes, during which period themass is stirred constantly by aid of a spoon. No water need be added,the moisture originally contained in the materials, if maintained, beingsufficient. The mass 6, being new plastic and soft, is poured intomolds, one of which appears at 10, and which may conveniently be theboxes in which the cheese is to be marketed. Each box is provided with acover 11.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

It is preferable, though not essential, that the boxes be made of tinplate or other sheet metal. It is not at all necessary that the boxes beair tight.

It has been ascertained upon actual trial that as the temperature isgradually raised to 150 degrees the fat at first has a tendency toseparate from other parts. but between 150 and 170 degrees thefatreunites with the other parts and the mass gradually becomeshomogeneous.

The completed product is a cheese having.

the appearance of the finest Camembert. It is smooth in appearance andto the. touch.

It is free from all granular particles, and

its flavor is practically identical with that of a high grade ofCamembert. It differs from Camembert, however. in that it is less pasty.slightly firmer and more resilient. It differs quite radically fromCamembert in another particular which is all-important, namely. it issterilized of decay germs, and of various kinds of disease-bacteria. Itmay be kept for long periods of time without taking any subsequentprecaution to protect it from the air-at least nothing more than keepingit in a box which is not air tight. It may be removed from the box andexposed directly to the air, even in warm weather. and yet it will keepfor arelatively long time.

As will be readily understood from the foregoing. we have found that byadding certain ingredients to the cheese at the right stage. and byheating the mass to a moderate temperature for a short time, we producea pasteurized cheese having improved texture and exceptionalkeepingqualities-the cheese thus produced being free ofdisease-bacteria.

Cit-rates having alkaline bases other than sodium may be substituted forthe sodium citrate and in some instances the alkaline salt may bedispensed with altogether.

In this connection we call attention to a fact which may be readilyconfirmed by casual observation, namely, that when cheese of any kind isheated under ordinary conditions, it is broken up and changed greatly incharacter. For instance in making VVelch rarebit. where the cheese issimply heated in a frying pan to a. temperature somewhat higher than theboiling point for water, the resulting mass is resolved into a viscous,adhesive yellowish material floating in clear oil. Again, if a piece ofcheese be heated to almost any temperature a little below the boilingpoint of water, the cheese will become grainy and lose a part of itsflavor. \Ve have made the disco-very that if the temperature used forheating be carefully adj usted as above described, the cheese may besterilized or pasteurized, yet without being broken up or having any ofits ingredients separated from others. The particular temperature forthis purpose varies slightly under different conditions and withdifferent cheeses, as above explained, but allowing for this fact thereIS a proximate critical temperature at which the greatly-desired resultI is easily accomplished.

In instances where two kinds of cheese are mixed, as above described, asingle common temperature sufiices for the mixture. The mixture desiredcontains a soft cheese and a relatively small proportion of a hardercheese.

The steps such as grinding, adding water and salt and pouring into moldsor boxes, though usually desirable in practice, are not in everyinstance essential.

. \Vhat is claimed and what is desired to be secured by United StatesLetters Patent 1s:

1. The method herein described, of treating cheese, which consists ingrinding the cheese, adding to it a small proportion of an alkalinecitrate, heating the mass to a temperature high enough to destroyundesirable bacteria contained in the cheese but not sufiiciently highto disintegrate the cheese, and maintaining the temperature until thecheese is sterilized.

2. The method, herein described, of treating cheese, which consists inadding to the cheese a small proportion of an alkaline citrate, heatingthe mass to a temperature of 165 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, andmaintaining the temperature for approximately thirty minutes.

3. The method, herein described, of treating cheese, which consists inadding thereto a small proportion of sodium citrate, heating the mass toa temperature of 165 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit and maintaining thistemperature for thirty minutes.

4. The cheese mass herein described, containing sterilized cheese andsodium citrate.

5. The method herein described of treating cheese which consists inmixing Camembert cheese with one to five per cent. by weight of cheddarcheese, adding one-tenth of one per cent. by weight of sodium citrateand heating the mass for thirty minutes at a temperature of 170degreesFahrenheit.

6. As an article of manufacture, a cheese of the Camembert genus,sterilized sufficiently to enable it to keep indefinitely under ordinaryclimatic temperatures, said cheese having a homogeneous texture.

As an article of manufacture, a cheese of the Camembert genus, so farsterilized as to enable it to keep under ordinary climatic temperatures,said cheese being inclosed in a container and having a homogeneoustexture.

8. The method herein described of treating a cheese mass containing areponderance of cheese of the Camem rt type, which consists in heatingthe cheese mas to a; temperature of about 170 degrees Fahrenheit andthus melting it, stirring the cheese mass for about thirty minutes whilemaintaining it at said temperature, and pouring the cheese mass intocontainers. 7

9. The method herein described of treating a cheese mass containing apreponderance of cheese of the Camembert genus, which consists inheating the cheese, actively stirring it While thus heated, thetemperature being sufiiciently high and the heating lo In testimonywhereof We have hereunto 15 signed our names.

LINN EUGENE CARPENTER. ELMER ELLSWORTH ELDREDGE.

